Erica Synths - Pikocore XL DIY

Many great ideas start in the DIY community. The original Pikocore by Zack Scholl of Infinite Digits was one such gem: a tiny, calculator-sized music mangler with a ton of character, based on a Raspberry Pi. It was clever, capable, and decidedly lo-fi. Perhaps the only catch was its size, which made it more of a pocket puzzle than a playable instrument. Erica Synths saw the potential and teamed up with Zack to give this concept the body it deserved. The result is the Pikocore XL.

The collaboration takes the exact same brain and functionality of the original and puts it into a robust aluminum enclosure with a hands-on, performance-friendly interface. What was once a thumb-typing affair now unfolds across eight satisfyingly chunky keys and four proper knobs, inviting real-time tweaking and happy accidents. It’s the same lo-fi heart, just with a bigger, more expressive body where the playability has been hugely expanded.

The Pikocore XL is all about mangling and manipulating sound in unconventional ways. It’s a sampler, but not in the traditional sense. Think of it more as a laboratory for stretching, crushing, reversing, and generally scrambling audio into new and unexpected forms. The controls are immediate: select one of the pre-loaded samples (holds >100 samples totaling ~8 minutes), and start twisting the knobs. Parameters like the resonant filter, time-stretching, wavefolding, and beat-synced effects like stutter and retrig are right at your fingertips.

The internal 128-step sequencer lets you capture your ideas, while the memory allows for instant patch recall. Its ability to sync with gear like Pocket Operators makes it a great companion in a larger setup of tiny devices. And for those who like to look under the hood, the whole platform is open-source and wonderfully hackable, with new samples and firmware loadable via USB-C. This is a full DIY kit, but the included Raspberry Pi board comes pre-programmed, so you can get to mangling as soon as the soldering iron cools down. Oh, almost forgot to mention — you can power it for 3 hours on a single AAA Battery, pretty darn nice! All these features combined in this really affordable unit makes the Pikocore XL a very intriguing package :)

Please note: The purchase of DIY kits does not include technical support, troubleshooting or repair services. By purchasing and assembling this DIY kit, you acknowledge that its functionality depends on your own soldering skills, tools and experience. We accept no responsibility for any problems, malfunctions or damage that may arise from improper assembly or use of the kit.

Features:

• A lo-fi music mangler based on the Raspberry Pi Pico
• Capable of holding 8 minutes of 8-bit 33 kHz monophonic samples
• Powered by USB-C or a single alkaline AAA battery for up to 3 hours
• Tempo-synced with a selectable BPM between 60 and 300
• Beat-synced effects include stutter, retrig, gate, and tunneling
• Real-time effects like a resonant filter, time stretching, volume, and wavefolding
• 128-step sequencer with recording and playback functions
• Save and load patches instantly via EEPROM
• Load custom firmware and new samples via USB-C
• Sync-compatible with Pocket Operators
• Open-source and hackable
• Full DIY kit with pre-programmed RP board and aluminum enclosure